Sarah Bankston's plastics career started in September 2009 as a part-time administrative assistant in Asahi Kasei Plastics North America Inc.'s quality systems group.
"I didn't know anything about plastics or compounding when I started, but it was 2009, and the job market was tight," said Bankston, who graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in communication. "Today, I'm grateful that I was in the right place at the right time."
Bankston has also held positions as assistant business analyst, product portfolio manager and account manager for distribution. Now, as segment manager for distribution and inside sales, Bankston maintains relationships with North American distribution partners; leverages distribution relationships to increase market share in existing markets while expanding into new, strategic markets; creates and executes a unified distribution strategy across the NAFTA region; and oversees inbound sales by integrating those sales inquiries into the company's direct and distribution strategies.
Bankston said she would not be in her current position without Sales Director Randy Nakon, who told Bankston in 2012 that she should think about sales. It took him another eight years to convince her, she said, "and I'm so grateful that he did."
"Historically, our organization considered distribution sales to be a subset of our nonautomotive segment. I'm proud that my advocacy led to distribution being recognized as its own segment, and I'm proud that our leadership team chose me to lead it," Bankston said of her greatest professional achievement.
Bankston's favorite piece of advice came from a colleague who reminded her not to dwell on mistakes: "You can't change the past. You can only apologize and be better." She said she tries to live by that every day.
"The mold I'm breaking is the idea that one has to have it all figured out," Bankston said. "I'm proof that to succeed in the plastics industry, you don't have to come out of college with a double major in chemical engineering and business administration, two business suits and a five-year plan. You can be yourself, and as long as you are willing to learn and to work hard, you can earn success."